DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12665#0186
170
incidents' of travel.
reading them over distinctly, like a commissioner
authorized to take acknowledgments under the act,
&c, I swore the white-bearded old men upon the
table of their law. a Hebrew copy of the Old Tes-
tament. I then dictated an affidavit for the rabbi
himself, and. was about administering the oath as
before, when the old man rose, and taking the
paper in his hand, and telling me to follow him,
led the way through a range of narrow lanes and
streets, and a crowd of people, to the little syna-
gogue, where, opening the holy of holies, and lay-
ing his hand upon the sacred scroll, he read over
the affidavit and solemnly swore to its truth. It
did not need this additional act of solemnity to
convince me of his truth; and when he gave me
back the paper, and I saw the earnestness and
deep interest depicted in the faces of the crowd
that had followed us, I again resolved that 1 would
use my best exertions to gladden once more the
old man's heart before he died. I added to the
several affidavits a brief statement of the circum-
stances under which they had been taken, and put-
ting the paper in my pocket, returned to the house
of the rabbi;. and I may as well mention here,
that at Beyroot I called upon the Austrian consul,
and before I left had the satisfaction of receiving
from him the assurance that the passport should
be made out forthwith, and delivered to the agent
whom the old rabbi had, named to me.
I had nothing now to.detain me in Hebron ; my
mules and a kervash provided by the governor
incidents' of travel.
reading them over distinctly, like a commissioner
authorized to take acknowledgments under the act,
&c, I swore the white-bearded old men upon the
table of their law. a Hebrew copy of the Old Tes-
tament. I then dictated an affidavit for the rabbi
himself, and. was about administering the oath as
before, when the old man rose, and taking the
paper in his hand, and telling me to follow him,
led the way through a range of narrow lanes and
streets, and a crowd of people, to the little syna-
gogue, where, opening the holy of holies, and lay-
ing his hand upon the sacred scroll, he read over
the affidavit and solemnly swore to its truth. It
did not need this additional act of solemnity to
convince me of his truth; and when he gave me
back the paper, and I saw the earnestness and
deep interest depicted in the faces of the crowd
that had followed us, I again resolved that 1 would
use my best exertions to gladden once more the
old man's heart before he died. I added to the
several affidavits a brief statement of the circum-
stances under which they had been taken, and put-
ting the paper in my pocket, returned to the house
of the rabbi;. and I may as well mention here,
that at Beyroot I called upon the Austrian consul,
and before I left had the satisfaction of receiving
from him the assurance that the passport should
be made out forthwith, and delivered to the agent
whom the old rabbi had, named to me.
I had nothing now to.detain me in Hebron ; my
mules and a kervash provided by the governor